In-Depth

News in Brief

Databeacon Collaborative Edition; Edwards enhances SCM suite

• By Stephen Swoyer
• 05/21/2003

Databeacon Inc., announced Databeacon Collaboration Edition, web reporting and data analysis software that lets organizations publish and disseminate live Web reports and data analysis to information consumers over corporate extranets or the Internet.

Databeacon says that its new Collaboration Edition can expose information that might otherwise remain isolated in departmental silos.

Databeacon Collaboration Edition makes it possible for users with Web browsers and Internet connections to collaborate on Web reports without the need for client software. Users can create self-defined workgroups by sending an e-mail from the Databeacon Insight viewer to colleagues or co-workers. Recipients can click on a link embedded in the e-mail to analyze Web report data in the context of Databeacon Insight viewer, which loads automatically in their Web browsers. They can share their own Web reports with others in the workgroup as needed.

In this regard, the product makes it possible for analysts to collaborate on data-driven conclusions with clients, or for managers to deliver the results of data explorations to executives. In addition, Databeacon features an unlimited user/per processor server licensing model that it says allows customers to cost-effectively publish interactive Web reports for analysis by thousands or tens of thousands of users from a single Web server.

Databeacon Collaboration Edition features an updated user interface for its Databeacon Insight viewer component, along with new presentation modes that allow data to be presented in a more natural reporting format, but also allows more advanced users to switch modes to a more powerful analysis, or Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) format, with one click. Other new features include a PageEnhancerAPI, which makes it possible for customers to tight integrate Databeacon functionality with their existing portal environments and applications.

Databeacon Collaborative Edition is available immediately for computing running Microsoft’s Windows operating environment and supports the software giant’s IIS Web server, along with the open source Apache Web server. Releases for several flavors of Unix—AIX, HP-UX, Solaris and Linux—are scheduled for sometime this summer, Databeacon confirms.

For more information, see http://www.databeacon.com.

J.D. Edwards Announces New Modules for Supply Chain Planning

J.D. Edwards & Company last week announced several planned enhancements to its J.D. Edwards 5 ERP suite, including new planning and scheduling functionality designed to help manufacturers maximize factory throughput, minimize inventory and make their supply chains more dynamic and adaptable.

The ERP stalwart says that it will introduce the new functionality as part of enhanced Production and Distribution Planning (PDP) and Production Scheduling modules. J.D. Edwards says that the new modules can be used with its other collaborative enterprise solutions, or on a stand-alone basis.

PDP incorporates an in-memory supply-planning algorithm that synchronizes a company’s in-bound materials flow with its resources, production capacity, and process requirements. It also provides intelligent material forecasts, minimizing inventory and improving profitability.

The Production Scheduling module uses a finite scheduling technology—called Constraint Directed Search (CDS)—designed to help industrial manufacturers produce high-quality production schedules. Both modules offer a Windows GUI interface for planners, along with a portal view for customers and suppliers. New integration enhancements in the modules deliver real-time information on supply chain events from execution systems.

The new PDP functionality is designed for industrial manufacturers, and will be available by Q3 2003. The Production Scheduling module, also targeted at industrial manufacturers, is available today.